Save the Whales Again!

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Join Actress HAYDEN PANETTIERE to create a Human Whale" on the National Mall!

Sunday, October 26, 2008

12:30 3:00 p.m.

Thousands of whales are killed needlessly every year by Japan, Norway and Iceland, despite the escalating threats they face from climate change, entrapment in fishing gear, ocean noise, ship strikes, overfishing of prey species and other human causes.

During her second trip to D.C. this year, Hayden Panettiere, NBC's Claire Bennet on the hit series "Heroes," and Save the Whales Again! campaign spokesperson, will speak at a press conference and feature in an aerial whale art event on the National Mall in front of the U.S. Capitol building. Aerial artist John Quigley will choreograph hundreds of participants into the shape of a whale and the word "VOTE."

Ms. Panettiere is calling on voters to ask where the candidates stand on the issues they value, and to vote on November 4. Ms. Panettiere turned 18 last year and will cast her first vote this year knowing how valuable it is. She has made repeated but unheeded calls to the current administration to stand up for whales and take action to halt continued commercial whaling by Japan, Iceland and Norway.

The trip also marks the one-year anniversary of her actions in Taiji, Japan, where she protested the killing of captured dolphins. The action raised international awareness of the brutal and needless carnage suffered by over 20,000 dolphins and small whales annually at the hands of Japanese fisherman.

Directions:

Take Metro to Federal Center SW (Blue/Orange Lines)

North on 3rd Street, NW

3 blocks

Rain or Shine!Save the Whales Again! does not endorse a particular 2008 presidential candidate.

The United States was once a world leader in protecting whales from commercial slaughter.

In 1972, our country led the effort to institute a moratorium on commercial whaling, and in 1982, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) - the governing body of whaling activities - banned this cruel industry.

Since that time, many tens of thousands of whales have been saved from slaughter; however, another 25,000 whales have been killed by Japanese, Norwegian and Icelandic whalers for commercial gain by exploiting loopholes in the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, the rules of the IWC. These three countries also work actively to reverse the ban on commercial whaling.

Over the past half-decade, U.S. leadership on whale issues has significantly declined, contrary to the wishes of the majority of the American public, which statistics show opposes a return to commercial whaling. The official U.S. voice of opposition against the pro-whaling factions is not only becoming silent, but there is great concern that the U.S. may be appeasing the whalers by negotiating for some measure of commercial whaling.

Whales already face an uncertain future without a return to commercial whaling, due to threats such as climate change (which can alter migration routes, breeding patterns, and prey abundance), ship strikes, entanglement and entrapment in fishing gear, over-fishing of prey species, and chemical and noise pollution.

Dr. William Hogarth, appointed by President Bush to head the U.S. delegation to the IWC, is also the organization's current chairman. Instead of using that position to steer the IWC toward whale conservation, he is actively working to placate pro-whalers by arranging a series of closed-door meetings to negotiate a deal that could allow for an IWC-sanctioned resumption of commercial whaling.

Most whale populations have yet to recover from the over-exploitation of whaling in the past, and some may never recover. Any return to whaling for profit could tip the balance toward extinction for many whales.